Non-Libertarian FAQ Critique - Part 2

Statement #4 from the Non-Libertarian FAQ, alleged as being a Libertarian belief:

Libertarians are defenders of freedom and rights.

Excerpt from the response:

The foremost defenders of our freedoms and rights, which libertarians prefer you overlook, are our governments. National defense, police, courts, registries of deeds, public defenders, the Constitution and the Bill Of Rights, etc. all are government efforts that work towards defending freedoms and rights.

While that may be the intended purpose of these organizations, it's certainly not the result. For instance, the job of the police is to enforce the laws, not defend rights. If someone is impeding on your right to free speech, try calling local police department to report it and see how quickly they act Police officers spend all day driving around writing speeding tickets. In doing this, they are simply enforcing the law, not defending anyone's rights.

While there are certainly good people in government that are there because they want to protect individual rights, there are others that are there because they're greedy for money, power, or both; or are more concerned with trying to provide an at most marginal increase in security in exchange for freedom (i.e. US Patriot Act).

Libertarians promote individual freedom above all else. When individual freedom is coupled with individual responsibility (freedom without responsibility obviously wouldn't be a good idea), people tend to make better choices because their choices directly affect the quality of their lives. This can easily be seen with parents and children. When parents give their children freedom and responsibility to make their own choices and learn from their mistakes, those children grow up to me more responsible and forward-thinking adults. When parents don't allow their children this freedom, they simply grow up to become dependent.

Libertarians wish for this same freedom/responsibility coupling of all people to be allowed by government, so that people can make better decisions and become more self-sufficient; as opposed to perpetuating a society more and more dependent on government.
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